TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 1

MARSHMALLOWS IMPROVE RADIO SIGNALS

Can you improve your radio’s transmission ability without spending a fortune on amplifiers?

The answer is, “YES!” In an unexpected discovery, it has been found that putting a marsh-

mallow on the tip of your antenna can increase your signal up to 3 decibels.

This discovery was made by Phil Nelson, N2PN. “We were attending a picnic at the Sunken

Meadow State Park on the north shore of Long Island. My son, Gary, was toying with the idea

of toasting marshmallows in a creative way. He put a marshmallow on the car’s antenna and

tried using a magnifying glass to focus the sun’s rays on the marshmallow. Well, needless to

say, it did not work. He soon abandoned his efforts, but forgot to remove the marshmallow.

Later, I got into the car to use the installed amateur radio. I didn't realize that a marshmal-

low was on the antenna. I signed into a net with other amateurs. At that time, one of the par-

(Continued on page 7)

telstar THE NEWSLETTER OF STARS (SOUTH TOWNS AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY) APRIL 1, 2012 VOL 45 Issue 8

IS YOUR SCANNER

WORKING CORRECTLY?

A few weeks ago, the Town of Hamburg be-

gan using a new frequency for their police

operations. When entered into the “trusty

old scanner”, operations were coming

through, loud and clear.

Well, most of the time! Between transmis-

sions, the scanner channel produced a lot of

scratchy sound. The sound was annoying,

even to the point of irritating the XYL to an

extreme state of discomfort. I was not far

(Continued on page 6)

APRIL MEETING TOPIC

IS RAILROAD CONTROL

If you still think railroad operations are con-

trolled with semaphore signals, you are sadly

out of date. Today’s railroad operations use

radio in very sophisticated ways.

In fact, you can listen in to hear where trains

are, how switches are set, and whether or

not any wheels on the cars are defective.

ATCS (Automatic Train Control Systems) use

radio for operating the track signals and

(Continued on page 6)

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 2

HAMS AND EGGS

Would you like to get together with other amateur

radio operators for an informal breakfast meeting?

If so, “Hams and Eggs” may be for you.

The gatherings take place on the fourth Saturday of

each month, at 9:00 AM, at Peg’s Place Restaurant,

4046 Lake Shore Road, Athol Springs (Hamburg). It’s

north of St. Francis High School, near the intersec-

tions of Lake Shore Road, St. Francis Drive, and Big

Tree Road.

Bring your YL, XYL, OM, or even the kids. All are wel-

come!

BLUE AND UNDERLINED

When you see something in Telstar in blue letters and

underlined, that means it is an Internet link. Hold the

“Control” key and click on it to open a link to an Inter-

net site.

(control + click) sample link

WE GOOFED!

The March issue gave an incorrect date for the Board

meeting. The correct date is/was March 22nd.

Also, the first page listed an incorrect call sign for

Pat Groom. The correct sign is KC2VWG.

Thanx to Pat Groom, KC2VWG, and Scott Barto,

KB2KOL, for bringing these items to our attention.

If you see something we did not get right, let us

know:

wb2elw@verizon.net

CLUB OFFICERS

President Ken Pokigo, KC2AYK

Vice President John Leitten, KA2RFT

Secretary Keith Patterson, KC2DGC

Financial Sec’y Judy Levan, N2TEZ

Treasurer John Czuba, W2IV

Director (past pres.) Wayne Carpus, W2ZDP

Director (1 yr.) Jon Hall, KC2QKB

Director (2 yr.) Pat Groom, KC2VWG

Clubhouse Chair Pat Groom, KC2VWG

Telstar Editor Tomm Dean, KA2NXY

Webmaster Marc Fruth, N2UBT

STARS MEETINGS

STARS meetings are at 7:00 PM on the first

Thursday of each month at the Hamburg Youth

Center, 200 Prospect Avenue (near Hawkins

Avenue) in Hamburg.

The next meeting is April 5th, at 7:00 PM

All are welcome,

The STARS board meets at 7:00 PM on the 4th

Thursday of each month at the Nike Base Radio

Clubhouse near the Hamburg Town Arena at

2982 Lakeview Road in Hamburg.

The next meeting is April 26th.

All members are welcome.

Occasional changes are made for holidays and

special events.

CLUB NETS

Saturdays 10:00 AM 3.925 MHz +/- QRM

Sundays 9:30 AM 28.380 MHz

Sundays 10:30 AM 147.09 MHz (repeater)

4th Saturdays 9:00 AM Peg’s Place Restaurant

Athol Springs

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 3

HELP! YOU’RE INVITED

Calling all STARS! Calling all STARS! Your help is

needed for a “Tower Party” work detail on Saturday,

April 14th, at 9:00 AM.at the Nike Base Clubhouse,

near the Hamburg Ice Rink. The objective will be the

preparation and painting of the first three sections of

the antenna tower.

While painting mitts will be available, please bring big

and small paint brushes for the “hard to get” spots.

Also needed will be wire brushes, especially those in-

tended for use with a portable drill. Be sure to wear

old clothes that can handle a spill or two (or three).

An associated cook-

out has been sug-

gested. Details will

be discussed at the

monthly meeting on

April 5th.

Rain(/snow) dates

are April 21st and

April 28th.

WB2E

SKYWARN TRAINING

SKYWARN is a volunteer program of the National

Weather Service that trains observers to report dan-

gerous weather. Upcoming training classes include:

Friday April 13th at 3:00 PM

Location: Buffalo State College

Department of Geography and Planning,

Classroom Building Room A209

Contact: Dr. Stephen Vermette -

vermetsj@buffalostate.edu

Monday April 23rd at 7:00 PM

Location: Town of Perinton

Recreation and Parks Dept

1350 Turk Hill Rd Fairport, NY

Contact: Matt Steffen -

msteffen@perinton.org

Tuesday April 24th 7:00 PM

Location: Lancaster Amateur Radio Club

Lancaster Office of Emergency

Management

321 Columbia Ave Depew, NY

Contact: Joseph Gearhart -

wv2ny@roadrunner.com

For more info:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/skywarnt.htm

DID YOU EVER SEE

THE SPACE STATION?

Yes! You can see the International Space Station at

certain times as it orbits the Earth. No special equip-

ment is necessary. It appears as a very bright star,

slowly moving across the sky.

It is most often visible just before sunrise or just

after sunset.

To find out when it will be visible near your home, use

the following web site:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/

region.cgi?country=United_States&region=New_York

W5YI—SK FRED MAIA

CQ columnist Fred Maia, W5YI, a leading amateur ra-

dio journalist, educator and pioneer of volunteer ex-

amining, passed away on March 28 after a battle with

cancer.

A memorial service was scheduled for 3:00pm, Satur-

day March 31, 2012, at Moore Funeral Home, 1219

North Davis Dr. ,Arlington, TX 76012.

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 4

AREA VE SESSIONS

04/07/2012 Jamestown

Sponsor: CARS

Location: Prendergast Library

Time: 2:00 PM (Walk-ins allowed)

04/14/2012 Newark

Sponsor: Drumlins ARC (Hamfest)

Location: Marbletown Fire Department

Time: 9:30 AM (Walk-ins allowed)

04/14/2012 North Tonawanda

Sponsor: ARA of the Tonawanda's

Location: Fire Headquarters Training Room

Time: 10:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed)

04/21/2012 Erie PA

Sponsor: Wattsburg Wireless Association

Location: Greene Twnshp Mun Bldg Rm 107

Time: 9:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed)

04/21/2012 Rochester

Sponsor: Rochester ARA

Location: RIT-Gleason Engineering Bldg, Rm

3139

Time: 10:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed)

04/22/2012 Geneseo

Sponsor: Genesee Valley ARA

Location: Livingston County Government Center

Time: 5:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed)

(control +click on City for more info)

VE MANAGER NEEDED STARS has an opening for the position of VE

(Volunteer Examiner) Manager. Duties include the

scheduling of exams and personnel, and liaison activi-

ties with the ARRL/VEC. (STARS usually offers ex-

ams on the 3rd Saturday of each odd-numbered

month, at 9:00 AM.)

The ideal candidate would be an amateur extra who is

certified as a VE by the ARRL.

If interested, contact Ken Pokigo, KC2AYK; or John

Leitten, KA2RFT.

TESTING NEEDS

Legal photo ID

Current license and/or CSCE documents, if any,

and a non-returnable photocopy of each

Federal Registration Number (FRN); if none, then

Social Security Number (SSN)

$15 in cash, check or money order

Two #2 pencils with erasers, and a pen

(more info)

VE SESSION RESULTS

STARS conducted a VE session on Saturday, March

17th, at the Hamburg Youth Center. STARS volun-

teers included Jim Starr, N2TFA; Ed Patton, N2ING;

and Tomm Dean, KA2NXY. Jay Clark, KF2JY, and

John Czuba, W2IV, provided backup assistance.

Five candidates took exams. All exams were passed

leading to two new technicians (KD2BVP and KD2BVQ),

one new general (KD2BVR), and two new extras

(KC2YMM and KC2YMN).

STARS next exam session will be at 9:00 AM on Sat-

urday, May 19th, at the Hamburg Youth Center.

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 5

HAMFEST

04/14/2012 Drumlins ARC Hamfest

Location: Newark, NY

Type: ARRL Hamfest

Sponsor: Drumlins ARC

Website: http://www.drumlinsarc.org

DAYTON HAMVENTION

The 2012 Dayton Hamvention opens May 18th at the

Hara Arena for its 61st consecutive year. According

to organizers, the hamfest is expected to bring more

than 20,000 people to the greater Dayton area.

The three-day event includes exhibits, a flea market,

forums and education sessions.

For more information about Dayton Hamvention --

scheduled for May 18-20, 2012 -- use the following

link: Hamvention website.

GET INVOLVED Let the editor know what you like or don’t like about

the TELSTAR news letter. Or, better yet, write an

article.

Contact the editor: — wb2elw@verizon.net TELSTAR BY EMAIL

Are you still receiving a paper copy of the Telstar?

Why not consider getting it by email. You’ll receive all

the latest news about STARS faster. The Telstar is

posted to the web, emailed, and dropped in the mail-

box the same day. In addition, you’ll save the extra

$6 charge for printing and postage costs.

Also, when received via the Internet, you can control-

click on anything appearing underlined in blue. Those

are hyperlinks that will bring you directly to the men-

tioned Internet site. This is especially useful in the

Contest Calendar section. Those links would have to

be copied into your keyboard if you only had a paper/

mailed copy. Perfection is necessary during the copy-

ing phase.

Finally, each edition of Telstar has a “Blue and Under-

lined” box. In that box is a “sample link”. If you have-

n’t checked those samples, each one will bring you to

an entertaining web site, unrelated to ham radio.

DID YOU KNOW…

Question: What are frozen bandages used for?

(Answer can be found at the

bottom right corner of page 10.)

RAILROAD MUSEUM

NOW OPEN

Ed Patton, N2ING, tells us that the Western New

York Railway Historical Society has opened a new mu-

seum at 100 Lee Street in South Buffalo. Lee Street

is off South Park Avenue, just east of Smith Street.

Known as the Don Owens Center, the museum is part

of the Heritage DiscoveRY Center (sic). Hours of op-

eration and other information can be found at:

http://www.trainweb.org/wnyhdc/

heritagecenter8.htm

Of note, plans are being made for other museums,

such as the Steel Plant Museum, to co-locate with the

railway museum on Lee Street.

In particular, mention has been made of a radio muse-

um. Part of that museum would be an operating ama-

teur radio station that would be active during normal

hours.

More information can be found at this link:

http://www.buffalorising.com/2011/11/heritage-

discovery-center-opens-this-month.html

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 6

STARS TRAINS…

A team of instructors from STARS is conducting

technician training in West Seneca on Thursday eve-

nings. Eighteen are students attending the classes.

They represent a wide variety of backgrounds, from

the local CERT to members of the Buffalo 912 group.

Included are leaders from the “Ride for Roswell”.

Led by Keith Patterson, KC2DGC, the team includes

Robert Koster, KA2WYE; Wayne Carpus, W2ZDP;

Tomm Dean, KA2NXY; and Conrad Barrick, KC2WRY.

License testing will take place on April 12th.

behind.

I checked the frequency on my old portable scanner.

I found the same irritating noise. Was the new Ham-

burg transmitter defective? Could two separate scan-

ners be wrong?

The new frequency is 460.3375 MHz.. After checking

the FCC records, I found that the City of Buffalo was

already using 460.325 MHz and 460.350 MHz for

their police operations. That meant Hamburg was only

12.5 KHz away from two busy stations.

It turns out that both scanners were built years ago.

At that time, stations were always at least 25 KHz

apart from the nearest station on the spectrum. How-

ever, in recent years that rule has changed, as the

FCC began issuing frequencies with less separation.

The old scanners were not designed for such a small

degree of difference.

I set one scanner to the Hamburg frequency, and set

the other to the Buffalo frequency. I soon found that

the scratchy noise heard on the Hamburg frequency

always occurred when Buffalo was transmitting on a

nearby frequency.

Time for a new scanner? I checked the catalogs and

found that some scanners were touted as useful for

the new narrow FM frequencies. After brooding about

it for a few days, I finally ordered a new Uniden

Bearcat BCD996XT from Scanner World. It arrived

the next day.

Setting up the new scanner was a problem. Instead of

a clearly written instruction manual, it included a CD

of “Scanner User Guides”. Navigating the CD was

worse than finding your way through a corn maze, or a

tightly constructed IC. Clarity matched permanent

ink. Banks and channels are a thing of the past; a new

method is used.

Once programmed, it worked fine. No interference! I

could now peel the XYL from the ceiling.

Is it time for you to upgrade your scanner?

(Continued from page 1) SCANNER

switches. Controls are set out in the 900 megahertz

range. The switches and lights communicate with a

main controller, much like packet operation.

At home, you can download software and see a train

dispatcher’s board. You will see train movements in

live time, very much like a flight tracker.

By using the expanded receive frequency capabilities

of your two meter rig, you can hear the train engi-

neers and hot box reports on railroad channels in the

160 megahertz range.

Robert W, Korthals, KC2QHY, is the most knowl-

edgeable person on ATCS in Western New York. Join

us on April 5th at 7 PM for his presentation on this

topic.

(Continued from page 1) RAILROAD CONTROL

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 7

ticipants from a significant distance asked where I

was. He stated I was 5-9 at his station, when he lis-

tened on the repeater input. When I told him I was

at Sunken Meadow, he thought I was pulling his leg,

and said I couldn’t be there since the signal was so

good.”

Only after the net ended, did Phil realize that a

marshmallow still sat on the top of his antenna. When

he saw it, he removed it. But later on, he found that

his radio did not measure up to its earlier perfor-

mance. On a hunch, he replaced the marshmallow and

tried again. This time, success, with a very good sig-

nal report.

Phil mentioned his findings to a close friend, Profes-

sor Richard Kunze of SUNY Stony Brook’s College of

Engineering. Initially, Kunze laughed and told Phil to

“stop playing with the radios.” But then, Kunze tried

to duplicate the reported marshmallow effect. To his

amazement, he found a significant improvement to a

radio’s transmitting ability, when a marshmallow was

placed on the antenna tip.

After subsequent experimentation, Kunze found that

the marshmallow served a significant purpose. Nor-

mally, the movement of a radio signal from a wire an-

tenna to air represents a traumatic change for radio

energy. A marshmallow, with air mixed throughout a

semi-solid substance provides a gradual medium for

the transition of radio energy from wire to air. This

decreased the loss of energy through change, and

provided a stronger, radiated signal.

Since then, Kunze reported his findings to the Nation-

al Radio Research Council. They repeated the experi-

ment and unanimously began to recommend that

marshmallows could be used to improve radio signals.

The news is spreading slowly throughout the world of

radio users. Marshmallows are now being spotted on

the antennas of many mobiles.

(Continued from page 1) MARSHMALLOWS

MARSHMALLOWS

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 8

E N K L N R N E R W A A T R A L L C

A R N E O O A S O S D N H N D O H H

U K D N R W E S T S E N E C A E G A

R E L K T B L A S D E L L L E R O M

D N A S H U L U S S N N A K T L B A

A M W N C F I G L T L L T W S L L R

S O L I O F V R E G A O F N W D D R

D R O L L A G U I R W U A N E D W A

N E D L L L N B A A A V R N N R A W

M T R O I O I M G N E M N O G S N W

A S O C N K R A P D R A H C R O S O

R A C N S T P H M I E A A E W A L B

I C N A A W S T H S A P M U R A O A

L N O M O W D I N L V G E D R S D F

L A C K A W A N N A B I I W T O T U

A L H O L L A N D N N N L O E I R N

L C D N A M D A D D I R N L E E I A

L G N E D L O C L A R E N C E L M A

AKRON ALDEN AMHERST ANGOLA AURORA BLASDELL BOSTON BRANT BUFFALO CHEEKTOWAGA CLARENCE COLDEN COLLINS CONCORD DEPEW EASTAURORA EDEN ELMA EVANS FARNHAM GRANDISLAND HAMBURG HOLLAND KENMORE LACKAWANNA LANCASTER MARILLA NEWSTEAD NORTHCOLLINS ORCHARDPARK SARDINIA SLOAN SPRINGVILLE TONAWANDA WALES WESTSENECA WILLIAMSVILLE

WORD SEARCH

ERIE COUNTY

STARS has been

designated a

Special Service Club

by the ARRL.

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 9

CONTEST CALENDAR Start and Finish Contest Title Sponsor’s Website

Mar 31, 0000Z - Apr 1, 2400Z Worldwide EME Contest www.dubus.org Mar 31, 0001Z - Apr 8, 2359Z Lighthouse Spring Lites QSO Party www.arlhs.com Mar 31, 1800Z - See website Missouri (MO) QSO Party www.w0ma.org Apr 1, 0600Z - Apr 1, 1000Z UBA Spring Contest, SSB www.uba.be/hf/contest-rules/spring-contest Apr 2, 1900Z - Apr 2, 2030Z RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2012/r80mcc.shtml Apr 3, 0200Z - Apr 3, 0400Z ARS Spartan Sprint www.arsqrp.blogspot.com Apr 3, 1600Z - See website OK1WC Memorial Contest www.hamradio.cz/ok1wc Apr 5, 1700Z - Apr 5, 2000Z SARL 80m QSO Party www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/

SARL_2011_Contest%20Manual_issue_9.pdf Apr 6, 0130Z - Apr 6, 0200Z NCCC RTTY Sprint www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html Apr 6, 0200Z - Apr 6, 0300Z SNS and NS Weekly Sprints www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html Apr 7, 0000Z - Apr 8, 0000Z Montana QSO Party www.fvarc.org Apr 7, 0400Z - Apr 7, 0800Z LZ Open 40 Meter Contest www.lzopen.com Apr 7, 0700Z - Apr 8, 1300Z Japan International DX Contest www.jidx.org Apr 7, 12 Noon - Apr 7, 6 PM PODXS 31 Flavors Contest www.podxs070.com Apr 7, 1200Z - Apr 8, 2359Z QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party www.qrparci.org/contests Apr 7, 1500Z - Apr 8, 1500Z SP DX Contest www.spdxcontest.info Apr 7, 1600Z - Apr 8, 1600Z EA RTTY Contest www.ure.es/contest Apr 9, 1400Z - Apr 9, 2000Z Low Power Spring Sprint alexanderkorda@hotmail.com Apr 9, 7 PM - Apr 9, 11 PM VHF Spring Sprints www.sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints Apr 11, 0030Z - Apr 11, 0230Z NAQCC Monthly QRP Sprint www.naqcc.info Apr 11, 1300Z - See website CWops Monthly Mini-CWT Test www.cwops.org/onair.html Apr 11, 1300Z - Apr 11, 1400Z and Apr 11, 1900Z - Apr 11, 2000Z and Apr 12, 0300Z- Apr 12, 0400Z Apr 11, 1800Z- Apr 11, 2000Z NAQCC-EU Monthly Sprint www.naqcc-eu.org/SprintHelp/SprintRules.pdf Apr 11, 1900Z- Apr 11, 2030Z RSGB 80m Club Championship, SSB www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2012/r80mcc.shtml Apr 13, 0230Z - Apr 13, 0300Z NCCC Sprint Ladder www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html Apr 14, 0000Z - Apr 15, 2400Z Montana QSO Party www.fvarc.org/?q=node/77 Apr 14, 0700Z - Apr 15, 1300Z JIDX CW Contest www.jidx.org/jidxrule-e.html Apr 14, 1600Z - Apr 14, 1959Z EU Spring Sprints www.eu-sprint.com Apr 14, 1400Z - Apr 15, 0200Z New Mexico Centennial QSO Party www.swcp.com/~n5zgt Apr 14, 1600Z - Apr 14, 1959Z EU Spring Sprints www.eu-sprint.com Apr 14, 1800Z - Apr 15, 1800Z QCWA Spring QSO Party www.qcwa.org/qso-party.htm Apr 14, 1800Z - See website Georgia QSO Party gqp.contesting.com Apr 14, 2100Z - Apr 15, 2100Z Yuri Gagarin DX Contest gc.qst.ru/en Apr 15, 0200Z - Apr 15, 0400Z Run For the Bacon www.fpqrp.org Apr 15, 0700Z - See website International Vintage Contest www.contestvintage.beepworld.it Apr 15, 1500Z - Apr 15, 1700Z Hungarian Straight Key Contest http://hskc.ha8kux.com/data/2011/Hungarian%20Straight%20Key%

20Contest%202011.pdf Apr 15, 1800Z - Apr 15, 2359Z ARRL Rookie Roundup www.arrl.org/contests Apr 17, 7 PM - Apr 17, 11 PM VHF Spring Sprints sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints Apr 19, 1900Z - Apr 19, 2030Z RSGB 80m Club Championship, Data www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2012/r80mcc.shtml Apr 20, 2100Z - Apr 21, 2100Z Holyland DX Contest www.iarc.org Apr 21, 0000Z - Apr 21, 2400Z TARA Skirmish Dig Pfx Contest www.n2ty.org/seasons/tara_dpx_rules.html Apr 21, 0000Z - Apr 21, 2359Z Worked All Provinces of China - Test www.mulandxc.org Apr 21, 0500Z - Apr 21, 0859Z ES Open HF Championship www.erau.ee Apr 21, 1200Z - Apr 22, 2359Z CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest www.cqmmdx.com Apr 21, 1600Z - Apr 22, 0400Z Michigan QSO Party www.miqp.org Apr 21, 1600Z - Apr 21, 1959Z EU Spring Sprint, SSB www.eu-sprint.com/index.php?page=140&lang=g Apr 21, 1700Z - Apr 22, 1300Z EA QRP Contest www.eaqrp.com Apr 21, 1700Z - Apr 22, 1700Z South Dakota QSO Party www.w0blk.org Apr 21, 1800Z - See website Ontario QSO Party www.va3cco.com Apr 21, 2000Z - Apr 21, 2200Z Feld-Hell New Member Sprint www.feldhellclub.org Apr 21, 2100Z - See website YU DX Contest www.yu1srs.org.rs/dl/yudx/yudxmain.html Apr 25, 1300Z - Apr 25, 1400Z and Apr 25, 1900Z - Apr 25, 2000Z and Apr 26, 0300Z - Apr 26, 0400Z CWops Mini-CWT Test www.cwops.org/onair.html Apr 25, 7 PM - Apr 25, 11 PM VHF Spring Sprints sites.google.com/site/springvhfupsprints Apr 27, 0230Z - Apr 27, 0300Z NCCC Sprint Ladder www.ncccsprint.com/rules.html Apr 28, 0000Z - Apr 29, 2400Z Worldwide EME Contest www.dubus.org Apr 28, 0001Z - Apr 29, 2359Z Ten-Ten Spring Digital Contest www.ten-ten.org Apr 28, 1100Z - Apr 29, 1700Z Nebraska QSO Party www.hdxa.net Apr 28, 1200Z - Apr 29, 1200Z SP DX RTTY Contest www.pkrvg.org/zbior.html Apr 28, 1300Z - Apr 29, 1259Z Helvetia Contest www.uska.ch Apr 28, 1500Z - Apr 29, 0300Z QRP To The Field www.zianet.com/qrp Apr 28, 1600Z - See website Florida QSO Party www.floridaqsoparty.org Apr 29, 1700Z - Apr 29, 2100Z BARTG 75 Sprint www.bartg.org.uk

(Control + click to activate a link)

TELSTAR APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 10

SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS

04/01/2012 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of RMS Titanic (12 separate Special Events from 4/01/12 to 4/15/12)

04/01/2012 100th Anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival 04/02/2012 Frost Buster Race 04/06/2012 Celebrating National Public Health Week 04/07/2012 150th Anniversary of the Great Locomotive Chase -- The "General" 04/07/2012 40th Annual RARSfest, ARRL NC State Convention 04/09/2012 OzarkCon 04/13/2012 Venice Sharks Tooth Festival 04/14/2012 819 Steam Locomotive 04/14/2012 A Celebration of Morse Code 04/14/2012 General Hardee's Retreat Civil War Reenactment 04/14/2012 Northeast Tennessee District 7 Skywarn Recognition Day 04/14/2012 USS Midway (CV-41) Decommissioned 1992, CPO Grade Established 04/19/2012 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics 04/20/2012 Earth Day Celebration 04/21/2012 Armies Though Time 2012 04/21/2012 Black Bear Festival St Mary Parish Louisiana 04/21/2012 From the Only International Boundry Marker Within the US 04/21/2012 GHARC Annual Birthday Event 04/28/2012 2012 Arrowhead District Spring Camporee 04/28/2012 Ft Miles Delaware Special Event Station 04/28/2012 GCARA Goodyear Blimp Base Special Event Station 04/28/2012 International Save the Frog Day Frognot Texas 04/28/2012 One Year Anniversary of April 27, 2011 Alabama Tornadoes 04/28/2012 T-town Twister

For more information about these Special Events, ‘control+click’ on this link: http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations

USEFUL INTERNET LINKS (control + click to use link)

CONTESTS: http://www.arrl.org/contest-calendar

http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/perpetualcal.php

HAMFESTS: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

SPECIAL EVENTS: http://www.arrl.org/special-event-stations

STARS WEBSITE: http://www.wb2elw.com/

STARS REFLECTOR: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STARS-WB2ELW/

TELSTAR EDITOR wb2elw@verizon.net Answer: Cold cuts